In recent years, there has been a rise worldwide in chronic physical illness, depression, and anxiety. Not coincidently, at the same time there has been an increased use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the United States, which is used by about 40 percent of Americans. According to the National Institutes of Health, Complementary refers to using a non-mainstream approach alongside conventional medicine. Alternative refers to using a non-mainstream approach instead of conventional medicine. So, for example, some therapists might use hypnosis to complement other forms of therapy, whereas another therapist might recommend guided visualization alone to help a client better manage pain.

Many researchers argue that conventional medicine, when used alone, does not effectively treat chronic illness, so it’s important to explore additional means of healing. Energy therapies such as acupuncture and qigong use the energetic force in Chinese, Ayurvedic, and other Western forms of healing, and have been used successfully for thousands of years for their ability to improve health with rapid results.

One form of CAM therapy I use is an energy therapy called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). EFT is a combination of energy medicine and psychology, and is based on research that suggests health relies on proper energy flow throughout the body. Any major stressor can interrupt this flow, creating an energy block that can lead to distressing symptoms or disease.

EFT uses the same energy-meridian system that traditional Chinese acupuncture uses, but without the needles. Instead, users stimulate acupuncture points by tapping on them in a specific way.

Many outcome studies over the past decade have validated the effectiveness of EFT tapping. It’s been shown to significantly decrease and help eliminate conditions such as:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• PTSD/Trauma
• Food Cravings
• Addictions
• Phobias
• Test and public speaking anxiety
• Physical pain

Through reducing stress and helping to change belief patterns, EFT helps relieve symptoms and works well with a variety of other approaches such as CBT, EMDR, and psychotherapy.

For a demonstration on how to use EFT for rapid relief, watch this YouTube video by Julie Schiffman and follow along: